Boulder District Judge M. Gwyneth Whalen to step down next month

Boulder District Judge M. Gwyneth Whalen will step down from her post next month to take a special counsel position with her former law firm, Caplan and Earnest LLC.

Whalen on Aug. 31 will leave the Boulder District bench, and will focus her work at Caplan and Earnest on complex civil litigation, according to a news release Wednesday.

Whalen managed the firm's litigation practice in 2006 when she was appointed to her post with Colorado's 20th Judicial District. Whalen, a University of Colorado School of Law graduate, previously served as a clerk in the district, and served as an assistant Boulder County attorney before entering private practice.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my time on the bench and I will miss the challenge of the job and my outstanding colleagues,” Whalen said in the news release. “But, the litigation practice is expanding at Caplan and Earnest and I am looking forward to getting back to that practice and new challenges.”

News of Whalen's departure comes shortly after the announcement that Chief Boulder District Judge Roxanne Bailin will retire on Aug. 31.